Read Your Way to Success Published Jan. 7, 2011 By CMSgt Todd DePorter 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Southwest Asia -- Have you ever wondered why some people are successful, while others continue to struggle? How do they achieve their goals and success while others don't? Are they lucky? One such successful person of notable recognition, great American author Mark Twain, rejected the thought of luck and replaced it with self-determination as he read his way to his success. Tragedy struck when his father died and he was forced to quit school at age 11 and work odd jobs to help support his family. As he grew into a young man, he overcame a lack of formal education through reading books. Through reading he prospered and ultimately authored several successful books that many of us still enjoy today. He gave us unforgettable characters like Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. His masterful blend of words created adventurous stories that breathed life into the characters and had us rafting up and down the mighty Mississippi River. He is quoted as saying "The man who does not read good books, has no advantage over the man who can't read them." Much like Mark Twain, most of us are in pursuit of something, and the combination of reading more and choosing the right books will improve your odds. You can see it worked for Mark Twain, now let's look at how reading more often will increase your chances of success. I can testify my personal and professional successes in life so far are directly related to making reading a priority. While I was growing up in the 70s and 80s I use to love to watch television and reading was not a priority in my home. I spent countless hours watching shows like M.A.S.H, Three's Company, and Cheers. The only time I read anything was for school or when it was necessary to pass a science test or complete a book report. Even then I would just brush over the pages with my eyes, try to pull out some semblance of a plot and maybe the character's names. Afterwards I would jot down a few sentences and rush to the remote control to switch on the TV. This all changed when I entered the Air Force and found I had idle time on my hands. One of my co-workers suggested I read the horror novel The Pet Cemetery by Stephen King, and from that point on I was hooked. I would sit for hours on end turning page after page, devouring each of the words like a famished prisoner who had been held in television captivity for 20 years. I soon discovered reading enabled me to build up my limited vocabulary and comprehension, as well as becoming a better writer. I was learning and growing as a person, and looking back I know this was a turning point in my life. Reading became the spark that focused my energy and lit the fire towards higher educational goals and professional career development. You can see reading helped me improve, but it was more than just books, it was the right choice of books. Like me, you have probably made dieting, losing weight and becoming healthier a part of your New Year's resolution. We promise ourselves to avoid junk food and only eat those items that will make us feel healthier, stronger and have more energy. As we begin this month, make this New Year's resolution a commitment to take in more nourishing books that will help you grow both personally and professionally. Highlighted in their book Launching a Leadership Revolution, authors Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward convey "Reading is a means of thinking with another person's mind: It forces you to stretch your own." Imagine stretching and nourishing your own mind by reading one book a week for a year on a subject you are passionate about and also captures the successful experiences of others. You will read 52 books in one year and possibly 520 books in a decade. What if you read only half of that? That's 260 books, which is still a significantly large number of books to consume in order promote your development and success. Reading the right choice of books will help you take in the information you need to be successful. Much like Mark Twain, your personal development and success are fully dependent on the effort you put towards them. Despite his early life challenges of growing up without a father and having to quit school to help support his family, he still became a successful author by reading as many books as he could get his hands on. Today, the television might seem like a nice form of entertainment, but endlessly watching it or playing console games on it won't get you to success you want. Just like a healthy diet for your body, your mind also requires a healthy diet in order to stretch and grow. Look for those books geared toward stretching your mind and promoting personal and professional growth. Don't limit your reading to only junk food horror or drama-themed books that don't satisfy your mind's need for nourishment. Consider reading a book a week; however, if that's unreasonable, shoot for one a month. So, why do some people succeed where others only fail? The answer might be it's what they're reading and you can discover many more answers to questions like this in the pages of the next book you read. Turn the first month of 2011 into a New Year's resolution of healthy reading. Good luck!